The Last Joke He Told
by xxokayisouralwaysxx
Summary: The Last Joke he told lay in a thin line on his rosy cheeks. The screams of my Mother, the broken sobs of my sister curdled around me as I stared down at my dead brother. Fred. My twin. My partner. My life. How was I to go on without him? A tale told from George's POV, set on George's son, Fred's first day at Hogwarts and George looking back on his brother's death and its aftermath
1. Chapter 1

The Last Joke He Told

How is it possible for something to be so beautiful, yet so ugly at the same time? We are taught from a young age that we should see everything through rose-tinted glasses; that we should see a vibrant field packed with the purest of roses and endless potential for our future, when in reality we are staring straight at a sunken pit of decomposing corpses and a cusp to all of our hopes and dreams, but what if the rules are not that simple? What if the formation of beauty is ugly itself, a villain disguising itself as a hero?

When Fred was blown to smithereens at the Battle of Hogwarts nineteen years ago, a Fred-shaped hole was left in my heart, and it ached with so much pain, that I didn't think it was possible for a Wizard to feel.

With each passing day, the hole is pieced back together piece by miniscule piece. I now have my beautiful wife, Angelina, and my two amazing children, Fred Junior and Roxanne, who help me to make it through each day.

Of course, Fred will never be forgotten. He was the other half of me, I was never a whole person without him. However, even when the pain is unbearable, like today, when I'm waving Fred Junior off as he gets the Hogwarts Express for his first ever year at Hogwarts, you have to get up and try. For my wife, my children, for me and for Fred.

I just wish I had known this at the start.


	2. Chapter 2

The Last Joke He Told

The dark scent of doom and misery clung to every corner of the corridor we were guarding, making my nostrils curl in disgust. The darkness curdled around us as Fred and I led Percy and a handful of other members of the Order down the narrow pathway to the impending doom and disaster that was about to strike, since we were the only ones who knew the whole of Hogwarts better than Dumbledore himself.

"Are you two boys sure you know where you're going?" an anxious looking lady with luminous green hair asked, peering round the crowd of people to look at George and I in a manner that blatantly told us she didn't trust us.

"No. Just think of it as a magical mystery tour." Fred replied, cheekily.

"Just without the sandwiches and different language choices." I joined in.

"Yeah, that's extra! Time is galleons my friends, time is galleons!"

With a quick mumble, the group continued to follow us. As we drew nearer and nearer to the end of the straight passageway that was leading us right underneath the Great Hall, I glanced at Fred. He looked back at me with unease. We both knew that round the corner there was a fork, and we couldn't both go the same way.

"You take left with them lot, I'll take right with Perce?" he murmered to me.

I nodded once, fear and adrenaline pumping through my body.

"Right, you lot, you're all going with my lovely partner here, apart from Percy who is accompanying me on this magical mystery tour. Please all listen carefully to the instructions your guide gives you, and do not argue with him." Fred declared, using the fake happiness voice he usually saves for the customers in the shop.

Percy strode out of the crowd smugly and strutted over to Fred, acting like he had been fighting heartless, cold-blooded monsters all his life, when it was only half an hour ago he had decided to stop being such a snivelling, spineless coward and do what was right for his family.

We continued walking down the path in silence, trying to delay the inevitable by taking smaller strides. The name "Harry" continued to circle my brain, as if reminding me that this torture and near-certain death experience was all for a good reason; to protect Harry.

When we reached the end, Fred turned to me slowly. His face held the cheeky smile we usually both reserved for Mum when she had caught us testing more merchandise for the shop, but it didn't quite meet his eyes.

"See you later?" he asked quietly.

"Definitely." I nodded.

And with that final farewell, we parted. That was the last time I saw my twin brother alive.


End file.
